Wanderlust: Florence

Those fortunate enough to live on the west side of the Arno--as seen here--have an unbelievable view of the Florence city-scape to the east. Jealousy overcomes us all.

Markets offering local goods are bountiful throughout the city.

Few places put on the Christmas ritz like Florence.

Florence has long reached for the heavens, starting with its grandiose churches.

Florence: A Rebirth, Again And Again

A large portion of the world's art is housed in Italy. The majority of that art is found in Florence. The city is literally overflowing with great achievements. There have been many influential cities throughout history. London birthed the Industrial Revolution. Berlin ended a looming war. Lisbon acted as an embarkation point during the Age of Discovery. New York opened its arms to the world. Yet, is anything more important--more influential--than the Renaissance in Florence?

The Renaissance was just that: a rebirth. It ended centuries of western futility and stagnancy. How could one city--one!!-- and its transformation help cultivate the minds of Dante, DaVinci, Boccaccio, Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo, Machiavelli, the Medici, and Raphael? Amazingly, this is a short list of people born in the city. The influence the city had throughout Europe cannot be quantified. Without this explosion of science, art, thought, exploration, etc., much of what we know today may not exist at all. How was all this possible? I don't know. Sometimes, it's best to just shut up and enjoy.

Today, Florence is a cultural gem. The Uffizi museum is a treasure chest of artistic accomplishments. The Ponte Vecchio is so precious that even the German army had implicit orders not to damage but a stone on its facade. The cobbled streets click and clack with the sound of high heals, as Florentine women--with their dark, sexy legs--somehow navigate over crack and crevice on their way to work. Even the air is filled with intoxicating scents. In autumn, the smell of homemade stock permeates the air, inviting us to eat and be merry.

Good food, unlike the art, is harder to find. That the city attracts millions of tourists a year means finding truly authentic food can be difficult. All it takes, fortunately, is a little patience. Walking the concrete forest of downtown, one can stumble upon a food vendor offering to its loyal patrons the delectable and delightful lampredotto--boiled cow stomach, often served with dry Tuscan bread and spicy salsa. It's rich and sinful and addictive, and it can only be found within Florence's walls. Watching important looking men in finely tailored suits gorging what was described as a medieval hamburger puts a smile on my face. In the home of chic style, Cavalli and Gucci, fine wine, commerce, and modern hotels, rusticity still trumps everything when it comes to food.

If Alaska is the pinnacle of nature's beauty, then Florence could be considered the pinnacle of man-made beauty. Bells and bridges and stone and stucco; libations and liver, piazze and ponti.

Cathedrals litter every corner, and they scream of magnificence and fulfillment. Each church attracts its own crowd. The Duomo--the ecclesiastical. Santo Spirito--the Bohemian. Santa Croce--the sophisticated. San Lorenzo--the scholarly. They all offer the traveler a different feel, a different look.

Statues of great men from long ago watch your every step. They stare at you, as you stare back at them. They're stoic and intimidating, and they make you question your own existence. Am I doing everything I could be doing? Am I contributing to my world? Florence is a tough place to think highly of yourself. Especially when you're standing in the shadow of men who thought higher.